Political division in Hungary casts shadow over 50th anniversary of uprising

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2006

BUDAPEST (AFP) — Hungary's main opposition conservative party said it would partially boycott ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the 1956 uprising, thus torpedoing efforts to use the commemorations to bridge a bitter political divide. Former prime minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party announced it would stage separate commemorations on Monday, when dozens of heads of state are expected in Budapest to pay homage to the Hungarian uprising against Soviet domination.

Fidesz sees its decision as a protest against Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, following revelations he lied about the economy in order to win re-election in April. The statements sparked two weeks of anti-government demonstrations in September, which on three nights degenerated into street...